


Silver Hearts

by 34G13



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 16:41:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17832275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/34G13/pseuds/34G13
Summary: Yumiko has just been recruited to Rainbow. She and Jack reconnect after time apart.





	Silver Hearts

Jack slowly pushed open the door to the command center. It was late, and the room was dark, save for console screens and a few flashing lights here and there. Only one of the three main displays in the front of the room - large screens that typically ran data summarizing active situations - was currently on, displaying information from an operation that had wrapped up a few hours prior. A couple of console operators still hung around, but the room was mostly empty except for a single figure in the observation area - an elevated platform with a few rows of theater-style seating - in the back.  
  
Yumiko sat in the front row, arms and legs crossed, casually clothed, a few strands of her black-and-grey ("silver," Jack would reassure her) hair hanging freely down her left breast, having escaped from the confines of her hood.  
  
Jack pushed his way through the door, opening it up only as much as he had to in order to keep the light from the hall from polluting the room. Console ops always got pissy about that, but thankfully none of them raised their heads this time. He walked casually to the back of the room, trying to hide the fact that he was critically analyzing every little movement he made. Only one person in the world made him do that, and after almost a year and a half apart, she was now right back within his reach.  
  
"Enjoying the setup?" He said quietly as he approached.  
  
"Best I've ever seen," she replied, matching his volume. "They certainly didn't spare expense."  
  
"It wasn't always this good. We might as well have been NASA on the first space missions when we started up. Couldn't tell you how old that tech was."  
  
"So how did you go from pre-space flight switches and CRTs to the most advanced threat assessment center any CTU has ever seen?" She turned to face him with the question. Jack continued to stare forward at the single active display, but he caught the reflection of its light off of her eyes in his peripheral vision.  
  
"Bartlett." Yumiko held her eyes on him for a moment, hoping to coax more out, but even the master negotiator radiated clear and obvious signals sometimes. He had nothing more to say.  
  
"Luckily," he continued after a minute or so, "the white mask activity has been more low-key since then. How'd the situation in Germany play out?"  
  
"As well as it could have. Jordan and Eliza make an incredibly effective leadership team. Working with them in L.A. was one thing, but the realities of a live operation really bring out the working dynamic between them. You can see stylistic aspects of approach rubbing off on them from Mike as well. It's surprising... I always admired the two, but wondered whether they could effectively share command, whether it be with each other or with others." This time, Jack had turned to face the woman as she talked. She was great at tactical assessments, and he loved to listen to her rattle them off on the fly.  
  
Yumiko picked up on the gaze fixed upon her, slowly turned to face him, then laughed softly and looked away. Jack noticed the way she shifted just slightly.  
  
_Damn it, you made her uncomfortable _. He quickly turned away, returning focus to the single large display.__  
  
"Sorry," she said. "I'm just.. still not sure I belong here." She spoke in a tone that Jack never heard her use around anyone else. It was a rare showing of insecurity, something she only showed to him, and only after months of late nights and long discussions back in L.A.  
  
Rainbow had been officially operating for almost a year now, and Yumiko was one of the two most recent additions to the team. Normally the most collected person on the squad, Jack had been struggling to compensate for the lack of focus that had come about from seeing her around, wanting to catch her alone, find time to talk and at least figure out if they were still on the same page as before they both left L.A. - Jack leaving for Hereford and Rainbow while Yumiko returned to Japan.  
  
Finally, tonight, he had gotten that chance.  
  
"Who are you trying to convince?" Jack asked, turning back to face her. "You've been all over the world, trained, instructed, lead almost every damn CTU under the sun. There are some jobs that people can fake, but not this one. You are here - which means you belong here."  
  
Yumiko simply sighed. Jack knew he hadn't broken through.  
  
"Yumiko?" He said, soft but stern. She looked to him. He saw the doubt and the pondering in her eyes.  
  
"You deserve this." The line triggered a memory in her head, one that made her smile and warmed her from the slight chill of the operations center.

* * *

The warm, sea breeze brushed the Japanese woman’s hair across her face as she stood out on the balcony in Los Angeles. Jack took his time pouring a couple glasses of whiskey, wanting to admire the sight as long as he could. Even in casual situations, he never saw her out of clothing that hid her features. She now stood outside, back to him, wearing a light tank top with athletic shorts that weren't skin tight, but they showed off her legs beautifully. He admired the way she continuously brushed her black-and-silver hair out of her face. The motion was slightly awkward; little subtleties that betrayed the fact that she wasn't used to her hair being uncontained.  
  
He lost himself in the sight, and only with the burn of the whiskey did he come back to reality, simultaneously realizing his heart was beating incredibly quickly. Jack topped off the sip he had just taken, then picked up the glasses and walked past the moving boxes in his apartment living room to the balcony. He offered a glass to the woman as he slid the door open and shut behind him.  
  
"Thank you, Jack," she said softly. He simply watched as the woman took a sip, becoming annoyed by both the hair blown in her face and the burn of the whiskey at the same time. She picked the hair out of her mouth and tried for the hundredth time to tuck it behind her ear.  
  
"There's a reason I keep this shit restrained," she said, trying to hide the look of disgust. Jack laughed at the uncharacteristic language, noting it was probably due to the couple glasses of whiskey they had already shared.  
  
"Why, exactly, do you?" Jack asked, realizing he didn't actually know. Of course, she had just implied she didn't enjoy managing her hair, but an obvious implication wasn't good enough for the master FBI negotiator.  
  
"Um... its a pain in the ass?" She said matter-of-factly. After a moment, she noticed Jack still silently stared in her direction.  
  
"Stop it," she said, a reflexive smile forming on her face. She knew he would do this to try to get more information out of her. Jack had trouble switching off his negotiator side, and she had found it annoying in the past, but it had also lead to a level of trust that stoked conversations about life that would leave both of them feeling immensely better afterward.  
  
"But there's something else?" Jack said lightheartedly, returning the smile. She sighed, took another sip of whiskey, and looked out over the balcony.  
  
"The grey bothers me. I feel like it shows the wear of stress. People look to me to lead, and it makes me feel like they think less of me as a leader."  
  
"First of all, it's silver," Jack replied. The smile had disappeared from Yumiko's face, but she feigned another in response that the FBI operator easily saw through.  
  
"Second of all, yes, it does show stress. That's the effect that stress has on people. You ever wonder why I don't have hair at all?" At this, Yumiko legitimately laughed.  
  
"It's a hazard of the profession, Yumiko. Being able to cope with the stress incredibly well doesn't mean there wasn't stress. I don't know how these things are treated in Japan, but... I can tell you no one at the FBI even bats an eye at the silver in your hair."  
  
"Except for you," the woman replied softly.  
  
"Yes. I do," Jack replied as he placed his glass down and closed the distance between him. "It's absolutely beautiful, and it's nothing you should ever worry about." As he spoke, he raised a hand to her face and tucked strands of yet-again-unkempt hair behind her ear. She smiled, raised her hand to his face in return, then pulled him close and pressed her lips to his. The two lingered in the release for a moment before she wrapped her arms around Jack's torso, leaning her forehead on his shoulder.  
  
"Can I tell you something?" he asked, after a while.  
  
"Of course," she said softly into his ear, after pulling her head up to rest her chin on his shoulder.  
  
"If you weren't going back to Japan... I think I would have declined this offer."  
  
"That's sweet... but, regardless of where I am, this is a fantastic opportunity for you," Yumiko replied, now looking into his eyes.  
  
"I just don't even know if I'm right for this. Rarely do I have to draw a gun, and their goal is to build a global, elite CTU? I have to believe there are better choices than me."  
  
"I can think of cases where someone that can talk would be better suited than someone who can shoot," Yumiko replied. Jack pondered the statement. He knew she was right.  
  
"You deserve this, Jack." He looked back into her eyes, and after a moment of lingering, he pulled her close and kissed her once more.

* * *

Yumiko lifted her hand and placed it on top of Jack's, resting on the shared armrest between them.  
  
"It's really good to see you, Jack," she said, leaning in slightly while uncrossing her legs. The reflection of the light in her eyes became more of a glimmer as her entire posture seemed to light up in the presence of the FBI operative.  
  
"It's good to see you too, Yumiko." He wrapped his hand around hers, momentarily entranced by the brush of her skin that he hadn't felt in so long. Her fingernails were dark purple, as they always were, but the paint was chipped and scratched. He wondered if that was another sign of the inadequacy she had expressed.  
  
"Hey, would you... maybe want to... take a walk?" Jack asked after a moment. Yumiko grinned over the uncharacteristic stumble of words, but it was the closest Jack had gotten to asking her on a date in over a year.  
  
"Exactly where would we be going?"  
  
"Well, it's not too late for a drink. Maybe we celebrate another successful operation, or...."  
  
"Or...?" Yumiko asked playfully. Jack's gaze shifted uncomfortably, all over the room.  
  
"Alright, if I'm being honest, I was just hoping to catch up a bit. Ask what you've been up to." Yumiko seemed to consider the proposal for a moment, but she had instantly shifted forward a bit. Jack knew what her response would be before she even began the act.  
  
"Alright," she said as she stood. She stretched a bit, as she had been sitting in the chair for a couple hours. Even in the dark, and even through her modest clothing, Jack couldn't help but to admire her figure while he was out of her eyesight. She turned and offered him a hand, which he took, using her support to pull himself up.  
  
"I can agree to a drink. But, if the goal is to chat... I don't know that the bars are going to be the best place to go." Jack could tell she was mentally on the same page. They both had concerns they wanted to voice, and they had both become eager to do so.  
  
"Well... I've got a place out in the city. Not too far from here. I have some whiskey, some wine, beer even, if your tastes have changed dramatically in the past year..." Yumiko laughed softly.  
  
"No," she said. "Whiskey sounds lovely. Let me grab some things and we can go."  
  
"Sounds good. I'll meet you out front," Jack said. He watched as she left the room, sighed, and went off to collect some things of his own.

* * *

Jack held the front door open for Yumiko, and she thanked him as she strolled in. It was a small apartment, yet she looked around like an awed child walking onto the field in a sports stadium as she walked past the kitchen into the living room. He hung his jacket on the wall, then went to his small whiskey rack in the kitchen.  
  
"Scotch? Bourbon? Any preference?" He asked as he fetched a couple glasses.  
  
"You know I'm partial to the scotch," she said.  
  
_Sure... but it's been a year, and I don't know if things have changed._ He did his best to ignore the insecurity and poured a couple ounces of the liquid into each glass. As he placed the bottle back on the rack, Jack noticed the woman had stopped wandering out of his peripheral vision. He looked over to find her transfixed on a set of paintings on the wall. As if on cue, she slowly pulled down her hood and brushed a hand through her hair in a familiarly dramatic fashion, making a point to raise her elbow above her shoulders. Her arms came back to rest across her chest as a shy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.  
  
All this would've seemed like nothing to anyone else, but the biggest hint to Jack was the way Yumiko's cheeks lit up like stop lights.  
  
_I remember_ , she was saying to him. _I want you to know I remember._

* * *

The two lay in bed together, on top of the sheets, enjoying the warmth of both each other and the L.A. air from the curtained window. Jack rested his head behind Yumiko's neck, enjoying her scent as he gently brushed his hand back and forth across her naked stomach, occasionally running his thumb under her breasts. She enjoyed the tingling sensations, the way the pads of his fingers caused her skin to develop goose bumps as they passed over.  
  
"Do you mind if I get a drink?" Yumiko asked, as the couple hours since they'd shared the whiskey had caused her mouth to dry a bit. Neither of them wanted to move, but her dry throat was becoming unbearable.  
  
"Sure," Jack replied, reluctantly pulling his arm away. She sat up and picked up a hair tie off the night stand, but just before she was about to put it on, she paused for an almost infinitely small period of time. Her motions were reserved as she turned back toward Jack, pulling her knee up on to the bed beside her, thus returning her figure to full view. Yumiko made a point of raising her arms above her shoulders while loosely restraining her hair. Jack knew everything she had done was on purpose, but couldn't help but feel badly, given the fact that her cheeks were glowing red.  
  
"Yumiko, if you're uncomfortable..." She smiled shyly and let her eyes fall as she brought her arms back down, now leaning on one for support.  
  
"I know you enjoy it. And... I know we don't get moments like these," she said softly. Jack held back a response, but he couldn't honestly decide if it was the feeling she had more to say, or if her body had left him totally tongue-tied. She was remarkably beautiful, and the warmth of the air had left a subtle gloss over her skin. The softness of her breasts gave way to the tone in her abs, and the way her free arm rested down the curve of her waist framed her small-yet-confident figure perfectly.  
  
She laughed softly to herself after a moment without a response, then crawled up on the bed and over to him, straddling his upper body with her arms so that she held the figurative position of authority.  
  
"I'm fine. I promise," she said, the reassurance in her voice coming naturally and genuinely. Her cheeks still betrayed her, but her gaze held firm and unwavering. She meant what she said, even if she couldn't control the instinctual discomfort of vulnerability.  
  
"This is... it's just another one of our conversations. After the drink or two, the walks through the city, when we've finally found a place to settle, let the act take a backseat, and just... exist." Jack had raised his hand to her waist and began to brush his fingers up and down her back as she spoke. "I spend so much time at the front, being this glorified symbol of unity and motivation, but here, with you... you make me realize I can just _exist_." The last word came with a sigh as she gave into the shiver from his touch.  
  
"Alright," he replied. She smiled, then leaned down and kissed him. As she pulled herself back, her eyes became transfixed on his bare chest as she dragged her hand down it while biting her lower lip.  
  
"Besides... the view from here isn't so bad, either," she said, doing her best to shoot him a suggestive gaze as she rolled away and finally stood up. It came across more humorous than seductive, though Jack would have never said such a thing.  
  
Yumiko walked out of the room and returned a moment later with two glasses of water. Jack sat up as she handed one to him, only then realizing that his own mouth was pretty dry as well. He quickly finished off the glass as the woman walked back around the bed. Rather than sitting down, however, she seemed to take notice of two paintings hanging on the wall. Not much was left of the already sparse decor in Jack's apartment; he had packed most of it away in anticipation of the move, but had left the paintings in their place for the time being.  
  
Jack got up and walked over to her, not even trying to hide his gaze, the woman covered by nothing but her black underwear. He couldn't help but slide his hand across the small of her back as he neared her. Yumiko hadn't anticipated it and shivered a little more than some.  
  
"Why do you have two of the same painting?" she asked, incredibly confused by the sight in front of her. Indeed, it would've looked to almost anyone like two copied paintings of the Golden Gate Bridge.  
  
"Details," he said with a slight smirk. He walked over to the nightstand, picked up his phone, and pulled up a picture - the same images that hung on the wall in front of them.  
  
"I took this picture," he said, tossing the phone back toward the bed after Yumiko saw it. "I made some friends. Photorealistic artists. Really damn good photorealistic artists. I commissioned one from each of them." She smiled slightly, listening to the soft excitement in his voice, even if she still didn't understand the purpose.  
  
"It's a reminder to me. A reminder of how two things that look so similar can still be so different." His hand slid off her back as he stepped forward. "It's not just slightly differing dimensions; that's superficial. Look here, at the shading, and here, at the subtle difference in the depths of the shadows, and here, how the peak of the wave in the water is slightly sharper than the other." Yumiko stepped forward with him, examining the pictures as closely as she could. The woman tried her best, but could not make out the differences her counterpart could so easily point out.  
  
"I... don't see it," she replied, a somewhat genuine look of defeat on her face. Jack laughed and pulled her close. She returned the embrace, and the two stood silently for a moment.  
  
"I'm going to miss you," he said softly, the amusement having clearly disappeared from his disposition. He felt her chest rise and fall against him as she sighed.  
  
"I'm going to miss you as well."

* * *

"They got here a little later than I did," Jack said, handing her the glass of scotch, "but I couldn't leave them in L.A."  
  
_I understand that you remember._  
  
She continued to smile at the response, but at the same time, she seemed to close herself off. Her posture straightened, she seemed to press her legs together, and she crossed her arms across her stomach. The sudden change was confusing, and the warmth of the moment was quickly gone. Yumiko backed off from the artwork and walked over to the counter, where she sat down on one of the three bar stools, her back to Jack.  
  
_Too much, too quick,_ He thought to himself. _Maybe bringing her here was a mistake_. He knew the woman was thinking the same things he was. Jack sighed, took a sip of his scotch, then walked over and sat down beside her. Yumiko stared down into her drink.  
  
"Can I ask how you've been? What you've been up to in Japan?" Jack asked. She looked over to him with a hint of reservation, then flashed an embarrassed smile before she took a large gulp of her whiskey, wincing slightly despite her best efforts to fight off the burn.  
  
"I've been... well," she replied with moderate hesitation. She looked as far away as her neck would let her, knowing Jack saw straight through that statement. In his defense, she didn't make that one too difficult.  
  
In reality, she had been well, but her attachment to the FBI operator left her feeling largely empty for a good half of the year they had been apart. Of course, it never showed on the surface, and after a while, she even began to genuinely feel better. It was only a couple months between then and her initial contact with Rainbow, however, at which point all the healing fell straight out the window.  
  
"Being close to family again was nice, even if it meant hanging around the butcher shop. I never really missed that part, but it payed the bills, I guess," she said, taking another sip of her drink. "My parents were never big into technology. It’s been hard communicating with them, being away so often."  
  
"How are they?" Jack asked.  
  
"They're well," she said with a genuine smile. "And they were happy to see me, too." The silence lingered for a moment before she continued.  
  
"I went back to work with S.A.T., of course. Nothing special, though a commander kept telling me my hand-to-hand skills were missing the fine precision I had before I left. I spent a lot of time training where I used to when I was a kid... and then kicked his ass when he challenged me to prove it." She finished off her glass and triumphantly smacked it down on the counter. It didn't break, but only after the contact did she remember it was, indeed, glass.  
  
"Fuck... sorry. I..."  
  
"It's fine," Jack said behind a laugh, already getting up to replenish her supply. "Looks to be in one piece. No harm done." Still, Yumiko sunk a bit into her seat as he flipped over the glass and refilled it. She picked it up again and swirled it around a bit before looking back up.  
  
"What about you? How has Rainbow been?"  
  
"Busy. We've been all over the place. Major situations in the Middle East, South America, Canada..."  
  
"I heard about them. You guys were doing good work," the woman replied with genuine admiration, though her comment only seemed to be directed at a single person. Her eyes remained fixed on him for a little longer than she intended.  
  
"Keeping up to date?" He asked. She knew Jack was trying to push her in a certain direction.  
  
"Yes," Yumiko said softly. "Just... making sure I don't see friends in the news." She looked back up to him, standing directly across the counter, leaning forward towards her.  
  
"Friends?" Jack asked. A corner of her mouth tugged upward, but she remained silent.  
  
Jack pushed off the counter and walked back around, moving the stool he occupied out of the way before taking his place next to her once more.  
  
"Yumiko... are we still..." he let the question linger without finishing it.  
  
"You're not worried that we work together now?" She asked, continuing to stare into the depths of her alcohol.  
  
"No," Jack said. "Considering the scheduling rotations in place and our individual specialties... the chance of us being in the field together is low. Also... we still technically work for the respective CTU's from which we came. We're just loaned to Rainbow."  
  
"It's not about the technicality, but..." she didn't finish the statement. For a moment, the silence lingered before the woman sighed heavily and turned to face Jack.  
  
"You don't feel any different?" he simply stared into her eyes for a moment before standing up straight, opening his posture to her, then reached under his shirt, pulling out a silver chain with a small, silver heart on the end. Yumiko took a look, noticing her native script on it. Her eyes lit up and she laughed softly.  
  
"You had my name inscribed on it?"  
  
"That tacky?" Jack asked with playful sarcasm. She looked down before getting up from her stool, tugging one of his free hands. Yumiko backpedaled into the living room with the man in tow, then stopped, pulled him close, and kissed him.  
  
"I am yours," she said between breaths.  
  
Jack was more than happy to oblige.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the FYRS Valentine's event. First thing I've written at length in about a year. Hope you enjoy :)
> 
> Thank you to the beta readers - I don't know who you are on this platform, but if you let me know, I'm glad to edit these notes to shout you out!


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